STEVENS POINT – The Wisconsin Narcotics Officers Association named the Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force the state’s top drug unit of the year at its annual conference Aug. 21.

The task force beat out about 32 task force agencies in the state for the award, said Plover Police Capt. Gary Widder. The Central Wisconsin Drug Task Force is made up of about 35 officers from eight counties, including Marathon and Wood counties.

Members of the task force received the award at the annual conference, at which no cameras are allowed in order to protect the identity of officers who often have to work undercover, Widder said. The location of the conference also was kept under wraps for the same reason.

The task force investigates drug offenses, but those offenses often involve other crimes such as burglaries, thefts and assaults, Widder said. A drug user might steal from someone to get money to pay for drugs, for example.

One of the growing problems the task force has battled recently is the rise in heroin use in central Wisconsin. Portage County saw its first death from a heroin overdose in 2011. Two more heroin deaths occurred in 2012, according to police records.

The task force busted up a heroin ring in Waushara County — which led to eight federal indictments — seized tens of thousands of dollars in drug money and made multi-pound marijuana arrests in Wood and Waushara counties from September 2013 to August 2014.

Stevens Point Police Chief Kevin Ruder said he was proud that members of his department were on the task force. In addition, Ruder said officers from other jurisdictions can work undercover and without being recognized, which can be a big help to the Stevens Point Police Department.

“Without the task force, we wouldn’t be able to do the kinds of undercover operations within the city,” Ruder said.

B.C. Kowalski can be reached at 715-345-2251. Find him on Twitter as @BCreporter.